Victim: Alexis Murphy, 17, missing from Shipman, VA, 03 August 2013 - #5

[cluciano63]

I live relatively close by to the areas we are discussing. To even try to understand the huge amount of land we are thinking about, I tried to visualize my own land. We have many acres. I was pretty shocked when I thought about my own place. We live "way out" and if there was something put on our land, we may not know it for a long time. There could even be someone LIVING on our land, and we would not notice as it would be out of sight with woods, hills, ravines, etc.

I was in Lynchburg today - the mall, restaurant, walmart (joy, joy) and did not see one poster, etc. Maybe I missed it, but nothing.

My hubby is aware of this case from me telling him, but otherwise no one we work with has ever discussed it, or brought it up, even though it's on news.

To summarize my round-about thinking... people with large tracts of land may have heard of this case, but probably aren't thinking they need to go check their land. This seems to be a real "needle in the haystack" thing.

Yes it took a long time to find Morgan H. And she was on private property presumably the whole time.

 

[blefuscu]

Hi, my first post on this particular case after several days of reading up on it.

Firstly. Lots of victim blaming has gone on here. Speculating that AM did weed, her SM involvement etc. I found that really sad, we have no proof that she did drugs of any type and even if she did, that doesn't make her a bad person. Also lots of young people use SM in a way that is "boastful". She was a pretty girl, but admitted online that she'd only had a couple of boyfriends.

RAT. I think the guy probably had no Internet. 1, he claimed in his interview about the LE stalking him that he lost his job, his house etc. He didn't have spare cash to spend on Internet. 2. He lived in a trailer. He's unlikely to have a phone line to connect a modem in a tiny little trailer. 3. If he had Internet why didnt he download *advertiser censored* onto his computer/phone rather than buy it at Ultimate Bliss?

Secondly I think too much was made about the tattoo on the back of his neck. It's a screaming skull with a tribal band behind it. Go into any tattoo studio and look at the walls, those types of tattoos are 2 a penny. I live in England and I've seen similar tattoos on the walls of several shops.

Thirdly, this area seems like a small place where people are able to recognise each other. He's probably seen AM around but I don't think he targeted her or arranged a drug deal through her. I think it's a crime of opportunity. He saw her at the liberty, she's on her own, he's feeling that he wants her, he orchestrates a situation to abduct her.

Phones, I worked at Orange (a British mobile phone company). The FBI will be able to identify her phone. All phones have an IMEI number and have done for at least the last 15 years if not more. Plus even if the phone is broken iPhones back up to iCloud now, nothing to do with it being an iPhone 4 or 5, it's an update of the software. Plus the SIM card is relatively protected inside an iPhone and can withstand outer damage, so if the FBI find AM's phone and extract the SIM card they'll be able to retrieve info from that.

I hope AM is found safely but after two weeks disappeared I think that unfortunately she won't be. This girl updated her social media almost constantly, I have a teenager, if she doesn't check her SM accounts and update several times a day she has withdrawals. It's not likely that if AM is safe she wouldn't update her accounts.

 

[Xiola]

The pot thing isn't speculation. Unless someone else was posting on her SM, she was clearly interested in pot/pot culture. I don't see how that can be disputed.

That said, I don't recall ever seeing anyone saying, or even implying, she was "a bad person" for it or that it makes her to blame for being victimized. It's a shame people have to keep defending a simple observation.

 

[carterkatt]

Yes it took a long time to find Morgan H. And she was on private property presumably the whole time.

Yes... I was thinking about that. Of course I think that nothing like that could happen here, on our land, etc... but I'm sure that's what the people thought that own the land where Morgan was.. .or Jennifer Short over the VA line in NC. Seems like "way out" places would not be known to those that don't live near them, but I know that's not true.

 

[blefuscu]

The pot thing isn't speculation. Unless someone else was posting on her SM, she was clearly interested in pot/pot culture. I don't see how that can be disputed.

That said, I don't recall ever seeing anyone saying, or even implying, she was "a bad person" for it or that it makes her to blame for being victimized. It's a shame people have to keep defending a simple observation.

I've just spent 3 days reading through the threads, lots of people have made negative comments re her possible drug use. Whether or not she smoked weed, or whether she was just showing off online, some people were negative. That was my observation.

 

[CHERIE.T]

Tidewater Va. news stations keeping Alexis in the news!
http://wtkr.com/2013/08/17/family-still-hopes-to-find-missing-alexis-murphy/

 

[CHERIE.T]

Parker Slaybaugh ‏@ParkerABC13 4h
NEW DETAILS IN THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALEXIS MURPHY!

1. Investigators are responding to claims made by Randy.. http://fb.me/2ysRJFzbw

Parker Slaybaugh ABC 13


NEW DETAILS IN THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALEXIS MURPHY!

1. Investigators are responding to claims made by Randy Taylor's attorney. His attorney said that the only evidence investigators have is a piece of hair found in Taylor's camper. Investigators are saying they have more evidence than just that piece of hair. They will not say what that evidence may be.

b b m / cbm
Thanks popcicle:seeya:

 

[blefuscu]

Parker Slaybaugh ABC 13


NEW DETAILS IN THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALEXIS MURPHY!

1. Investigators are responding to claims made by Randy Taylor's attorney. His attorney said that the only evidence investigators have is a piece of hair found in Taylor's camper. Investigators are saying they have more evidence than just that piece of hair. They will not say what that evidence may be.

b b m / cbm
Thanks popcicle:seeya:

I think that's good news. They swooped on RAT pretty quickly and must be confident, to charge him. Especially after he sued the LE.

Something I thought of too, he spent the next day with his son, so he has to have kept AM somewhere else? His trailer didnt look big enough to hide her in. And her car was apparently seen by "the family friend" in the lot on the Monday. So I think he's moved pretty quickly after abducting her on the Sunday.

 

[carbuff]

I'm betting that we get news tomorrow morning. It'll come through while the website is down for maintenance so we won't be able to get on to talk about it.

 

[CluelessWonder]

RAT didn't sue LE. I mistakenly said that a few days ago, though. He claimed that he was harassed, but he never filed a suit. His attorney just got the charges against him dropped by convincing the judge that LE used improper methods to gain evidence.

 

[CluelessWonder]

The fact that they haven't added more serious charges tells me that they have not been able to obtain any evidence that Alexis was harmed.

 

[cluciano63]

Parker Slaybaugh ABC 13


NEW DETAILS IN THE DISAPPEARANCE OF ALEXIS MURPHY!

1. Investigators are responding to claims made by Randy Taylor's attorney. His attorney said that the only evidence investigators have is a piece of hair found in Taylor's camper. Investigators are saying they have more evidence than just that piece of hair. They will not say what that evidence may be.

b b m / cbm
Thanks popcicle:seeya:

This came out earlier today though...not really new the way they were building it up, IMO.

 

[margarita25]

The fact that they haven't added more serious charges tells me that they have not been able to obtain any evidence that Alexis was harmed.

Other than a possible cellphone and a hair, I'm not sure they've found anything else either (which is further evidence to me of a possible second location). JMO.

 

[Just K]

An interesting fact, there are 8 SOs in Roseland and two in Massie Mills. Lots of SO in those few miles then there are several more in Shipman and two in Lovingston.

One SO, in Roseland, has the same last name as one of the men who accused RAT of Assault, in C-ville (2004.) But the last name, that rhymes with Mabel, is also another prominent name/landowner, in Nelson County/Massie Mills area.

 

[Simply Caustic]

Hi, my first post on this particular case after several days of reading up on it.

Firstly. Lots of victim blaming has gone on here. Speculating that AM did weed, her SM involvement etc. I found that really sad, we have no proof that she did drugs of any type and even if she did, that doesn't make her a bad person. Also lots of young people use SM in a way that is "boastful". She was a pretty girl, but admitted online that she'd only had a couple of boyfriends.

RAT. I think the guy probably had no Internet. 1, he claimed in his interview about the LE stalking him that he lost his job, his house etc. He didn't have spare cash to spend on Internet. 2. He lived in a trailer. He's unlikely to have a phone line to connect a modem in a tiny little trailer. 3. If he had Internet why didnt he download *advertiser censored* onto his computer/phone rather than buy it at Ultimate Bliss?

Secondly I think too much was made about the tattoo on the back of his neck. It's a screaming skull with a tribal band behind it. Go into any tattoo studio and look at the walls, those types of tattoos are 2 a penny. I live in England and I've seen similar tattoos on the walls of several shops.

Thirdly, this area seems like a small place where people are able to recognise each other. He's probably seen AM around but I don't think he targeted her or arranged a drug deal through her. I think it's a crime of opportunity. He saw her at the liberty, she's on her own, he's feeling that he wants her, he orchestrates a situation to abduct her.

Phones, I worked at Orange (a British mobile phone company). The FBI will be able to identify her phone. All phones have an IMEI number and have done for at least the last 15 years if not more. Plus even if the phone is broken iPhones back up to iCloud now, nothing to do with it being an iPhone 4 or 5, it's an update of the software. Plus the SIM card is relatively protected inside an iPhone and can withstand outer damage, so if the FBI find AM's phone and extract the SIM card they'll be able to retrieve info from that.

I hope AM is found safely but after two weeks disappeared I think that unfortunately she won't be. This girl updated her social media almost constantly, I have a teenager, if she doesn't check her SM accounts and update several times a day she has withdrawals. It's not likely that if AM is safe she wouldn't update her accounts.

Respectfully bolded by me.

In the event that any poster notices an instance of victim blaming - please, alert the post. There are a wonderful group of mods here at WS who simply won't stand for that.

That being said, I've yet to notice any post that blames the victim: I have seen posts stating that her SM did, in fact, contain references to weed - which, in my humble opinion, is not blaming, it is a sourced fact - and there has been no post stating that she was to blame for ANY of this, in any fashion.

----

As to another part of your post - the trailer and internet access - I would humbly suggest that trailer-dwelling folk are every bit as likely to have an Internet connection as an apartment renter - I do not see any correlation between trailer and internet.

Respectfully MOO.

 

[blefuscu]

Ok, just my opinion. I dunno if he had Internet access or not. Just doesn't make sense to go and buy movies from a shop if he could download *advertiser censored* straight onto a computer.

http://www.nbc29.com/story/23163728/nchs-volleyball-team-honors-alexis-murphy-during-jamboree

Nice that her team-mates did this. Must be a hard time for them all

 

[margarita25]

He lived in the camper, not the house. But the house has been sitting there a while with no one living in it, or fixing it. Probably just RAT roaming through for things that would not fit in the camper.

I'm sure they went through the house. At least I would think that would be a biggie on the list, not just the woods.

Wonder if the crawl space is accessible?

Eek, ARS had some of Jessica's remains (her hands and head) in the crawl space...

 

[margarita25]

This is very rugged and difficult territory, but it is also horse country. And although private and public property (Crabtree Falls Park area), often if on horseback private prop owners do allow riders to cross prop lines. There is a public stable just down from the Falls, and I bet they know the trails very well. I keep going back to the Hannah Anderson case, and it was riders who came upon them in pretty rough terrain. I really do have faith she will be found.

Hmmmm...good info. It may be worthwhile to send a shout out to these horse folks, in case they are not already keeping an eye out.

 

[BeginnersLuck]

I wish they would get off the pot reference. From the 1960's until present it has been nothing to blink an eye at for teens or adults to smoke pot. This RAT picked up on something from MSM or her SM and ran with it. It makes me sick that his ploy has worked to draw attention or focus on the pot reference. There is no way this young girl went to his trailer to hook up two old dudes with some smoke. I'm sickened by the media giving focus to this.

 

[tootsiepop]

14 Days Missing, Family 'Confident' FBI Will Find Alexis Murphy
Sat 10:13 PM, Aug 17, 2013

<snipped>

But after two weeks, Alexis Murphy's great aunt feels that she is coming home soon. And as the FBI works on what Trina Murphy thinks is a major tip, she says it's only a matter of time.

Since Alexis Murphy's story was picked up by the national media this week, new tips have been pouring in and one in particular, Trina says, gives her the sense that a big moment is coming soon.

http://www.newsplex.com/home/headlines/220066121.html

Praying that they are right!